Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a very serious disease that can cause great harm to people's physical health. This disease causes great wear and tear and pain to the patient's joints. Therefore, patients suffer from the pain of arthritis for a long time and cannot resolve it. This disease is very difficult to treat and almost requires lifelong medication. Let’s take a look at how to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

1. Anti-rheumatic treatment

The principle of treatment is early diagnosis and early, reasonable, combined medication. Commonly used anti-rheumatic drugs are as follows:

(1) Salicylic acid preparations are the most commonly used drugs for the treatment of acute rheumatic fever and have definite efficacy. Aspirin is the drug of choice. It can reduce fever, relieve inflammation, improve joint symptoms, and lower erythrocyte sedimentation rate. However, it cannot eliminate the basic pathological changes of rheumatism, nor can it prevent heart damage and other complications.

Salicylic acid preparations often cause stomach irritation symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite, which can be relieved by taking aluminum hydroxide. For those who cannot tolerate salicylic acid preparations, clofenamic acid can be used.

(2) Adrenal cortex hormones Corticosteroids are not necessary drugs for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. It should only be considered in patients with arthritis who have evidence of carditis and who are inadequately responding to salicylic acid preparations.

2. Anti-streptococcal infection

Eradicating streptococcal infection is an essential measure for treating rheumatic fever. The preferred drug is penicillin. For those who are allergic to penicillin, erythromycin or acetylspiramycin can be used instead.

3. Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment

Rheumatoid arthritis belongs to the category of arthralgia in traditional Chinese medicine. In the acute phase, it is advisable to dispel wind, clear heat and resolve dampness. In the chronic phase, it is advisable to dispel wind, disperse cold and resolve dampness, which can play an auxiliary role in alleviating symptoms.

prevention

Pay attention to joint exercise during the inactive period, keep the joints warm and avoid moisture; remove the streptococcal infection foci in the body to prevent recurrence. If tonsillitis recurs, tonsillectomy can be performed; after rheumatic activity is controlled, 1.2 million units of long-acting penicillin should be injected intramuscularly every 2 to 4 weeks; if suffering from acute pharyngitis, seek medical attention immediately to avoid recurrence of the disease.